1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective cover for use with a wheeled vehicle such as a bicycle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a protective cover which is also aerodynamic in design such that it can be used to cover a bicycle placed in an automobile bicycle rack.
2. Background of the Invention
The sport of cycling has gained a very substantial following in recent years. The general population is becoming increasingly health conscious. Aerobic exercise as become a regular part of the daily routine of many people. One of the problems that is encountered in any exercise program, however, is designing a program that is also enjoyable. Many people find running, aerobic dance, and related activities to be monotonous, boring, and physically difficult. For example, some people find it difficult to keep up an aerobic exercise program because of injuries to joints, sore muscles, torn ligaments, and similar ailments.
Many people have found bicycling to be an answer to the problems otherwise encountered in aerobic exercise. Bicycling is often found to be more enjoyable and less physically stressful. As a result, the sport of bicycling has found an increased following among those seeking an enjoyable and effective means of aerobic exercise.
In addition, the sport of bicycling has recently expanded in several additional respects. In particular, the mountain bike is a recent development that has become very popular. Mountain bikes can be used to access terrain that was previously only accessible by foot or possibly four wheel drive vehicle. Thus, bicycling has expanded into an area previously dominated by hikers and off road vehicle enthusiasts.
Bicycles have also been the subject of a number of technical advancements in recent years. One area in which these advancements has been felt is in the area of touring bicycles. These bicycles have become lighter and more functional. As a result, the popularity of touring by bicycle, as opposed to using a motor vehicle, has also seen a significant increase.
One of the results of the development of cycling, and its various specialized areas such as bicycle touring and mountain biking, has been the need to transport bicycles by motor vehicle on a much more frequent basis. For example, if a person wishes to tour a national park using a touring or mountain bicycle, it is often necessary to transport the bicycle hundreds of miles before the use of the bicycle begins. In addition, if a person is traveling and still wishes to have access to a bicycle for the purposes of aerobic exercise, it is also necessary to transport the bicycle. Thus, the need for adequate means for transporting bicycles has increased with the increased popularity of the activity.
When transporting a bicycle by a conventional private automobile, van or the like, it is not usually possible to place the bicycle inside the motor vehicle because of its size and configuration. As a result, two common types of bicycle racks are generally encountered in the transportation of bicycles on the outside of the vehicle. These racks include roof racks and racks which attach to the rear of the vehicle.
Roof racks, as their name would suggest, attach to the roof of the motor vehicle. The bicycle is then placed on top of the vehicle, often in an inverted position. An alternative type of conventional roof rack requires the removal of the front wheel of the bicycle so that the front forks can be used to attached the bicycle to the rack.
Racks attached to the rear of the automobile generally provide two outwardly protruding arms. The bicycle is then hung on the outwardly protruding arms. With this type of rack, it is often possible to attach two or more bicycles to the rack. However, an additional problem is created in that the multiple bicycles interfere with one another. It is often observed that the pedals of one bicycle become entangled in the spokes of the other bicycles, occasionally resulting in damage to the bicycles. Accordingly, it would be very desirable to provide a protective cover for each individual bicycle so that damage caused by interaction between bicycles could be avoided.
With the use of either type of rack, the bicycle is exposed to the elements as it is being transported. To aggravate the situation, the bicycle is also exposed to a high degree of air flow associated with the speed of travel of the vehicle. This exposure can result, for example, in the bicycle being struck by gravel and debris, as well as rain, snow and other types of natural precipitation. It will be appreciated that this exposure can damage expensive bicycles and their components.
As a result of the desire to remove bicycles from exposure to the elements, protective covers have been developed. However, none of the covers has been able to adequately protect a bicycle mounted on a motor vehicle rack because of problems associated with the speed of travel of the motor vehicle.
For example, protective bags have been developed. These bags are generally large, bulky containers made of some type of flexible, yet durable material, such as a plastic or canvass material. These bags cover the bicycle and protect it from the elements. However, there is generally no significant effort made to fit the bag precisely to the contour of the bicycle. Indeed, bags of this type could be used to cover any vehicle or object of the approximate size of a bicycle.
A primary limitation of such bags is that they are not form fit to the shape of a bicycle. As a result, it is not practical to use the bags when transporting a bicycle on a motor vehicle because the bag tends to flap violently in the wind as the motor vehicle reaches highway speeds. This can result in damage to the bag, damage to the bicycle, or extreme annoyance. For this reason, there have been few attempts to cover bicycles mounted to roof racks.
Some additional attempts have been made to make bicycle covers for use with bicycles mounted to racks mounted to the rear of an automobile. These covers are shaped generally in the form of an envelope of sufficient size to cover the bicycle. Such covers may also provide means for the rack to penetrate the cover and support the bicycle. Again, however, these types of devices have not included any serious attempt to form fit the cover to the bicycle. Nor has there been any serious attempt to make such covers aerodynamic in nature. As a result, these types of covers also have a serious tendency to flap in the air as the automobile reaches higher speeds.
Accordingly, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a travel and storage cover for bicycles which overcame the limitations encountered in existing covers. More particularly, it would be a major advancement in the art to provide a bicycle travel and storage cover which was sufficiently aerodynamic when covering the bicycle that it could be used when transporting a bicycle mounted to an automobile bicycle rack. Similarly, it would be an advancement in the art to provide such a cover which form fit the bicycle such that the bicycle could be mounted to an automobile roof rack without undue flapping of the cover in the air at highway speeds. It would also be an advancement in the art to provide a bicycle travel cover which could optionally allow air to pass through a portion of the cover as the bicycle is being transported.
Such and apparatus is disclosed and claimed below.